sohaeffeb



(No Model.)

J. L. SGHAEPFER.

PINGERING ATTACHMENT FOR FLUTES.

No. 307,807. Patented Nov. 11, 1884.

WITNESSES: I wgm INVBNTOR Z ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JAMES L. SCHAEFFER, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FINGERING ATTACHMENT FOR FLUTES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 307,807, dated November 11, 1884.

Application filed August 2-1, 1883;.

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES L. Scrrxnrrnn, I a citizen of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and l useful Improvements in Fingering Attachl ments for Flutes and other Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare that the foll lowing is a full, clear, and exact description l of my said invention, which will enable others l skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference in said de scription being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification.

Heretofore certain well-known difficulties existed in the fingering required of the left hand in rendering certain notes of the chromatic scale on the old flute; hence various attachments to the same have been made from time to time, giving rise to new systems of fingering or playing more or less complicated.

My invention is an original device specially adapted for producing the notes or tones Ab, B and Ch, and consequently, by allowing certain of said-three keys to be open, perfecting the intonation of several of thehigher tones, thusmaking the old or common flute as pnrfect in intonation and as easy to finger as can be desired. My said device is simply a fingering mechanism, which in the drawings is shown attached to the left-hand joint of the flute or next the blow-section of the instru meat; but my improved device is also applicable to the right-hand joint and to other mnsical instruments of similar character, as the l clarionette and the hautboy.

Some advantages of my improvement may be explained as follows: On the common llnte it is necessary to employ the little finger of the l left hand in manipulating both the keys E24 l and Ab. In my invention it is not necessary to employ said finger in the making Aly, thus leaving it free to be used in making 1%; only, and thus avoiding double or dilficultduty by it.

The most decided advantage to be obtained from my invention is the execution of the keys ranging from 13| to D'p and (lb, and in sharps ranging from A to 13 and Ft; keys, making their execution almost as easy as the keys of O, G, and D. These advantages are so obvious to all familiar with the difficulties in flute- (No model.)

playing that a fuller explanation thereof is deemed unnecessary.

It istrue Behm did improve the old flute by piercing the holes thereof in their more correct positions and by employing his own peculiar keys. His object was not, primarily, to facilitate the fingering, but to make the tones more correct. TVhile his fingering devices did afford a very great degree of facility, still many dillicultics remained, which my invention entirely removes, prominent among which is my superior means for obtaining B The novel and useful features of my invention comprise,first-, a fingering attachment for musicalinstruments,employing as mechanism to facilitate the producing of certain musical notes or tones a rockshatt provided on its left end with a plate or lever for rocking it by the direct application of the thumb of the left hand, a key fixedly attached to the right end of the same and mounted on the middle portion of said shaft, certain keys loosely sleeved thereon, but coupled with said fixed key to be controlled thereby when the the thumb-plate is depressed, and to be operated by other fingers than the thumb, either individually orcollectively when said thumb-plate is not depressed; second, a rock-shaft extended to command a number of keys provided with a thumbplate and a fixedly-attached key on its ends, in combination with several rotary sections loosely sleeved on the intermediate portion of said shaft, each of said sections having a key as part thereof, and with certain tenons and abutments on said sleeves for connecting them with each other and with said end key to secure their control thereby, and with certain springs for retracting thekeys to make them all stand open when the thumb is off said plate; third, the means of an extended rock-shaft provided with thumb-plate and key both fast on its ends, and several keys loosely sleeved on its middle, the same having connecting projections on them and retract-irig-springs, all cooperating as a means of controlling said keys collectively, in combination with a number of secondary keys in communication with and controlling said intermediate keys to produce certain musical notes and tones when the thumb is off thcplate; fourth, the combination of certain grouped and coupled keys and means for operating them, as hereinafter set forth.

same with the keys closed, as when piece is depressed. Fig. .3 represe end view of the same. cross-section taken line 4;, T represents a sleeve-joint; enlar shaft. coacting with certain keys on mt Fig. 7 represents a front view of the ma' :1 rockshat't and its connected parts detached from the flute. This is the main controlling leverage ot' my attachment. Fig. 8 rta'n esents the thuml} lever or rock-shaft with fixed key-joint ther Similarletters of reference and musical signatures eenote similar parts throughout all the views.

Letter E denotes aletthaud jointol' a dine, and it its splices.

K N l. denote the main sl1alt-mount ings.

TV TV denote the secondary mountings.

a L (on K denotes the thumb-plate, mane l: on shaft S which latter has on its opposite end the cylindrical section l9, made first on same. The section P has on. it the key A 1, which it operates. The intermediate sections, ,d N, on said shalt S are loose sleeves, limited, however, in their movements as follows: Section P has a tenon, 1?, on it, which enters a cut, M, on section N, and section iii is likewise coupled with section 1? Saidscc ons arel'ree to move to an extent equal to t e diii'erentze between the breadth of said tone. 3 ll and id cuts M. The shaft is jonrnale in pinars a, Z), d, and d, and the sections H N l? couple in pillars d c. Springs in a are attae red, as shown, to retract said sections 31' if, and through the latter thumb-plate K, so that the keys 0, Hg, and Ap on Si id sections stand open when the thumb is oil said plate K. The section I, actuated by spring in, ietnaies section N, and it actuates section Bil l on the thumb is on plate 1i, thus closing all imnltaneonsly. The tubes \V W are mounted l'reel v on a shalt fixed in pillars 7.? 1p. Said tubes or sections have on them the levers T T, with key rings attached for thelingers, as saown, and marked, respectively, At and 1. The said tubes are actuated by springs like the springs in. on the other shatt-mountings. Said springs act to govern said rings when the thumb is on plate K. The levers T T on sections W W engage catches S S, respectively. on sections If. \Vhen ring t} is depressed, lever T rotates section N, and it rotates section Id. Thus both the keys 0 and El may be closed, while key Ay When the ring Art is depressed,

is left open. lever T rotates section M, and the key (I there on is closed, while kevs 135 Ab, and G- are open. N pressed, is open,

The results of these: d 'ith all ' in i'jlrl ill; as well as A key. an t) keythat is,

" the thumb controls key 7, while the fingers eontrol tie l; of e and B}; separately when thumb is olt' plate, a." above stated.

The trill-keys L L are ope 'ated exactly like the rang-keys it and G, and with their corresponding fingers.

i do not limit myself to the means specified ll A lingering attachn cut for facilitating re. execution ot'certain notes or tones on flutes, msistin ot' rock-shalt t5", n-ovided with D w/ J appliance or lever in at lelt end, and

al'tixed to its right end, keys El; ..1 aehed to tubes N, which latter are lmsely sleeved on the middle portion 0t and ring-levers Ga and An, coupled ing snbstimtially as and for the pur- Tl l lluies, consisting of the equipped lever or thuiubever li ll. hi provided with the sections iii: loosely sleeved thereon. and co ipled by their tenons and abutments N M with each other and with right end of said lever, and retracted by springs in, in combinationv with secondary ke 's A11 and G, arange! and connected. therewith to effect the epara e control of keys (I and i3 substantially as herein set forth.

in a transposing'llutc or other analogous nusieal instruments, a liinrcring attachment r facilita ing the execution of music, em-

.ving, as an essential part thereof, an exre rock-shalt provided at its left end with an appliance for rocking it ;he left thumb, on its right end with. a. key fixedly attached thereto, and having two or more keys secured to sleeves loosely mounted on said shalt there by, in combination with trip-levers for operat in; one or more of said loosely-inounted keys at a time, when the thumb is off said appliance, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

"Witnesses:

Ti inorn nun s W nxvnir, 'Pnrnn Srn'et: 

